JP3071307B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with a refrigeration cycle which can switch between a cooling operation and a heating operation and can also perform a dehumidifying operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional air conditioners include a compressor, a four-way valve,
Outdoor heat exchanger, decompression device, indoor heat exchanger,
It constitutes a heat pump type refrigeration cycle circuit which communicates through a refrigerant pipe. By switching the four-way valve, the direction of conduction of the refrigerant is changed, and switching between the cooling operation and the heating operation can be easily performed. In addition to such driving,
The indoor heat exchanger is divided into two parts, one of which is a reheater and the other is an evaporator, which enables a dehumidifying operation.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, heat exchange pipes 51, 51 are arranged in two rows in front and back of a fin 50 constituting a heat exchanger, and slits 52 are arranged at predetermined intervals therebetween. And are provided in series. One portion divided by the slits 52 becomes a first indoor heat exchanger 53, and the other portion becomes a second indoor heat exchanger 54.

At first, they were erected in the vertical direction, but as they are, the height of the indoor unit provided with these heat exchangers becomes large, and with the change in housing conditions,
The demand for reducing the height of the unit cannot be satisfied.

Therefore, recently, as shown in the figure, the heat exchanger is bent in a "U-shape" at a middle part of the heat exchanger in the vertical direction to reduce the vertical dimension. Types are now used.

In order to perform a dehumidifying action with a heat exchanger of the type described above, a second indoor heat exchanger 54 acting as an evaporator is located on the windward side, and a second heat exchanger acting as a reheater is located. The first indoor heat exchanger 53 must be located on the leeward side.

On the other hand, although not shown here, a parallel circuit of a capillary tube as a dehumidifying decompression device and an electromagnetic on-off valve is interposed between the indoor heat exchangers 53 and 54.

[0008] During the cooling operation and the heating operation, the electromagnetic on-off valve is opened to allow the refrigerant to flow therethrough and hardly to flow the refrigerant to the capillary tube. During the dehumidifying operation, the mode is switched to the cooling cycle, and the electromagnetic on-off valve is closed. Therefore, the refrigerant condenses in one indoor heat exchanger to perform the function of a reheater, and the refrigerant evaporates in the other indoor heat exchanger, thereby performing a dehumidifying function.

[0009]

As described above, in the conventional air conditioner, switching between the cooling operation and the dehumidifying operation is easy, but the second indoor heat exchanger 54 on the windward side is used.
As a result, drain is generated with the evaporating action of the refrigerant.

[0010] This drain starts to flow down when the droplets have a certain size. In the portion where the slit is provided, the fluid flows along the slit 53, but the connecting portions 55 of the slits 53 are inclined at right angles to the inclination angle β of the fin 50. First
Easily flows to the indoor side heat exchanger 53 of FIG.

Accordingly, the drain water cools the first indoor heat exchanger 53, and the reheating efficiency of the heat exchange air is impaired, resulting in a problem that the dehumidifying capacity is greatly reduced.

In order to switch to the dehumidifying operation, the above-mentioned solenoid on-off valve must be opened and closed. However, a sudden change in the flow path of the refrigerant is made, and the generation of the refrigerant switching noise is extremely large.

During the cooling / heating operation, the solenoid on-off valve is opened. However, in order to minimize the pressure loss in this state, a valve having a larger diameter is required, which inevitably increases the cost.

The capillary tube provided in parallel with the above-mentioned electromagnetic on-off valve can obtain only a fixed throttle state.
The dehumidification capacity cannot be adjusted. Therefore, comfortable air conditioning cannot always be obtained.

Therefore, recently, a proportional control valve capable of linear control has been used. This valve can secure a large flow rate of the refrigerant during the cooling and heating operation, and performs a proportional control only during the dehumidification operation, so to speak, has an integral structure with the on-off valve.

However, even in such a valve,
At the time of dehumidification, a large operating torque is required, and sufficient control resolution cannot be obtained. In addition, there is a disadvantage that it is difficult to obtain a sufficient flow rate during cooling and heating.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide first and second indoor heat exchangers integrated in a U-shape. During dehumidification operation, drain water generated by the heat exchanger acting as an evaporator is reliably prevented from flowing into the heat exchanger acting as a reheater. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that can achieve a great improvement.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifying device capable of improving the reliability of dehumidifying without any loss of capacity during the cooling / heating operation and without changing the flow path suddenly when switching to the dehumidifying operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner equipped with a pressure reducing device for use.

[0019]

In order to achieve the above object, a first invention is directed to a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a decompression device, a first indoor heat exchanger, a dehumidifying depressurizer. A heat pump type refrigeration cycle in which the device and the second indoor heat exchanger are sequentially communicated via a refrigerant pipe, and a switching between a cooling operation and a heating operation is performed by switching the four-way valve. In a dehumidifying operation in which the first indoor heat exchanger is used as a reheater and the second indoor heat exchanger is used as an evaporator by switching the pressure reducing device, the first indoor heat exchanger and the first indoor heat exchanger are connected to each other. The indoor heat exchanger 2 is bent in a U-shape, and a plurality of fins whose upper sides are inclined, heat exchange pipes penetrating these fins in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction, and these heat exchange pipes Fins provided in series with a predetermined interval between each row of The heat exchange pipe is integrally formed with a heat exchanger body formed of a slit that divides the pipe in the front-rear direction, and opposed ends of the slit are inclined at an angle equal to or greater than the inclination angle of the fin upper side. It is an air conditioner.

As a result, during the dehumidifying operation, the drain water generated in the heat exchanger acting as the evaporator is blocked between the slit ends, and does not flow into the heat exchanger acting as the reheater.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, as the dehumidifying depressurizing device, a valve chamber, and a first refrigerant pipe connected to the valve chamber and connected to the first and second indoor heat exchangers are connected. A port and a second port, a communication passage communicating the valve chamber with the connecting refrigerant pipe of the second port, a valve for large flow rate displaceably accommodated in the valve chamber, 1, the second port and the communication path are all opened, and only the second port is closed during the dehumidifying operation, the large flow valve is slidably supported by the small flow valve, and the cooling and heating operation is performed. In the dehumidifying operation, the large flow valve is slid while the large flow valve is fixedly held at the closed position of the second port, and the gap dimension with the communication passage is variable. A tapered part to adjust the amount of throttle of the refrigerant flowing through the communication passage. An air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the a. The dehumidifying decompression device secures a large flow rate of the refrigerant during the cooling / heating operation, and can control the throttle amount of the refrigerant during the dehumidifying operation.

[0022]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 shows a refrigeration cycle provided in the air conditioner of the present invention.

In the drawing, 1 is a compressor, 2 is a four-way valve, 3 is an outdoor heat exchanger, 4 is a parallel circuit of a pressure reducing device 5 and an on-off valve 6, 7
Is a heat exchanger main body in which the first indoor heat exchanger 8 and the second indoor heat exchanger 9 are integrally formed, and 10 is a dehumidifying decompression device, which are sequentially communicated via a refrigerant pipe P. And a heat pump type refrigeration cycle circuit H. FIG.
Schematically shows an indoor unit Y constituting an air conditioner.

A suction port 12 is provided on the front side of the unit body 11.
The heat exchanger body 7 is provided in the unit body 11.
Are arranged opposite to each other. The heat exchanger main body 7 is bent in a dogleg shape, so that the vertical dimension of the unit main body 11 can be reduced.

A drain plate 1 is provided below the heat exchanger body 7.
3 is provided, and an indoor blower 14 is disposed on the back side of the heat exchanger body 7. By driving the blower 14,
Air to be conditioned is introduced into the unit main body 11 from the suction port 12 and exchanges heat with the heat exchanger main body 7.
The air is blown out again into the room to be air-conditioned from the air outlet 15 provided at the lower part of the front surface of the air conditioner. 1 and 2 show a specific configuration of the heat exchanger main body 7 in which the first indoor heat exchanger 8 and the second indoor heat exchanger 9 are integrally formed.

FIG. 1 shows an inclined portion of the heat exchanger main body 7 which is bent in the shape of a letter and disposed in the unit main body 11. FIG. 2 shows the state of the heat exchanger body 7 before it is bent in a dogleg shape.

This is because a large number of fins 16 are arranged side by side with a small gap, and two fins 16
A plurality of slits 18 are connected in series between the heat exchange pipes 17, 17 arranged in a row, and between each row of the heat exchange pipes 17, 19 ... are provided. Fin 16 above
Has a notch (not shown) at one end thereof,
With this as a fulcrum, it is bent in a U-shape.

The fin 16 and the heat exchange pipe 17 on the inner side of the bend in FIG.
Thus, the first indoor heat exchanger 8 is configured. Also,
The second indoor heat exchanger 9 is constituted by the fin 16 on the outer side of the bend and the heat exchange pipe 17.

The connecting portion 19 which is the opposite end of the slit 18 is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the horizontal axis L as described later. That is, the slit 18 is formed to be long in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the fin 16, and this end is inclined at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal direction in the drawing, which is a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. In setting the inclination angle θ, the inclination angle β of the fin 16 on the inclined side is determined in advance in a state where the heat exchanger body 7 is bent in a dogleg shape. Then, the inclination angle β of the fin 16
As described above, the inclination angle θ of the connecting portion 19 needs to be inclined.

Normally, the inclination angle β of the fins 16 in the state of being bent in a dogleg shape is 30 to 40 °, so that the inclination angle θ of the connecting portion 19 between the slits 18 is equal to 40 °. Or more than that (θ ≧ 40 °).

The connecting portion 19 formed at the required inclination angle θ in this manner is bent into a dogleg shape, and the inclination angle β of the fin 16 is obtained. The inclination angle α of the connecting portion 19 with respect to the horizontal axis L is formed with an inclination of at least zero or more. FIG. 5 shows a specific configuration of the dehumidifying decompression device 10.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a valve main body, and a drive motor 21 such as a pulse motor is integrally provided at the upper end thereof. A ball 22 is provided on a rotation shaft 21 a of the drive motor 21.
And the valve body 24 are connected via the diaphragm 23. The valve element 24 is formed by integrally forming a small flow rate valve element 25 and a large flow rate valve element 26 described later.

A valve chamber 27 is provided in the valve body 20, and a first port a is open on one side and a second port b is open on the lower end. The first and second ports a and b are respectively connected to a refrigerant pipe Pa and a refrigerant pipe Pb.
Are connected.

The other end of the refrigerant pipe Pa is connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 8 shown in FIG.
Is connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 9 shown in FIG.

Referring again to the decompression device 10 for dehumidification shown in FIG. 5, a small-diameter third
Port c is opened. A space chamber 28 is provided in the valve body through the third port c.
8 and an end of the refrigerant pipe Pb connected to the second port b are communicated by a communication passage 29. As shown in FIG. 6, the small flow valve 25 forms a deformed straight shaft, and the large flow valve 26
Has a spherical shape of deformation.

To be more specific, in the figure of the small flow rate valve 25, the portion located in the space chamber 28 is a tapered portion 25a.
Through the port c.

At the lower end located in the valve chamber 27, a lower flange 25b for stopper is provided.
An upper flange 25c for a stopper is provided between b and the tapered portion 25a.

The stopper lower flange 25b is provided with a valve 25
Is inserted into the second port b from the valve chamber 27 depending on the position of the valve chamber 27.
It is within 7.

The large flow valve 26 is provided with a hole 26a slidably fitted in a shaft portion 25d of the small flow valve 25 between the stopper lower flange 25b and the stopper upper flange 25c.
The upper and lower surfaces are provided with concave portions 30, 30 on which the respective flange portions 25b, 25c engage. In addition, this valve 26
Is formed larger than the diameter of each of the flanges 25b and 25c and the diameter of the second port b. Next, the operation of the air conditioner thus configured will be described.

When the cooling operation is instructed, the refrigerant gas pressurized by the compressor 1 is supplied to the four-way valve 2-the outdoor heat exchanger 3-the pressure reducing device 5-the first indoor heat exchanger 8-the dehumidifying pressure reducing device 10 −
The heat is guided in the order of the second indoor heat exchanger 9-the four-way valve 2-the compressor 1.

The heat exchange air, which is the air to be conditioned, is introduced from the second indoor heat exchanger 9 side and blows through to the first indoor heat exchanger 8 side. In other words, the second indoor heat exchanger 9 is on the leeward side, and the first indoor heat exchanger 8 is on the leeward side.

At this time, the dehumidifying decompression device 10 is set in a state as shown in FIG. That is, the large flow valve 26 is located almost at the center of the valve chamber 27, and the first and second ports a and b are completely opened.

The straight shaft portion 25 e of the small flow rate valve 25 is inserted through the third port c, and the tapered portion 25 a is located in the space 28. From this, the third port c is opened to the maximum, and the valve chamber 27 and the communication passage 29 are in communication.

Therefore, most of the refrigerant introduced from the refrigerant pipe Pa into the valve chamber 27 via the first port a is directly discharged from the second port b to the refrigerant pipe Pb. Part of the refrigerant in the valve chamber 27 is transferred from the third port c to the communication passage 2.
9 and merges with the refrigerant guided to the refrigerant pipe Pb.

In this manner, the first indoor heat exchanger 8
From the refrigerant pipe Pb through the refrigerant pipe Pa to the second indoor heat exchanger 9 from the refrigerant pipe Pb without any change in state and with a large flow rate secured. Is done. Therefore, the refrigerant decompressed by the pressure reducing valve 5 evaporates in the first indoor heat exchanger 8 and the second indoor heat exchanger 9.

On the other hand, when the air to be conditioned passes through the second indoor heat exchanger 9 and the first indoor heat exchanger 8, the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant is deprived of the refrigerant and cooled. Becomes Then, the air is blown into the room to be air-conditioned, and the cooling operation is performed without interruption.

When the heating operation is instructed, the four-way valve 2 is switched, and the refrigerant gas pressurized by the compressor 1 is supplied to the four-way valve 2-second valve.
, The indoor heat exchanger 9, the dehumidifying decompression device 10, the first indoor heat exchanger 8, the decompression device 5, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the four-way valve 2, and the compressor 1. The dehumidifying decompression device 10
Does not change from the state shown in FIG. 6, and the refrigerant guided here conducts without any change in state.

When the air to be conditioned passes through these second and first indoor heat exchangers 9 and 8, it is heated by absorbing the heat of condensation of the refrigerant, and becomes warm air and blows out into the room to be conditioned. Is done.
That is, a heating action is performed.

When the dehumidifying operation is instructed, the four-way valve 2 is switched in the same direction as the cooling operation, and the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 is opened. Then, the dehumidifying decompression device 10 is adjusted to one of the states shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B or a state between these states according to the dehumidifying capacity at that time.

The refrigerant gas pressurized by the compressor 1 is supplied to a four-way valve 2-an outdoor heat exchanger 3-an electromagnetic on-off valve 6-a first indoor heat exchanger 8-a dehumidifying decompression device 10-a second chamber. The heat is guided in the order of the inner heat exchanger 9-the four-way valve 2-the compressor 1.

The refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the first indoor heat exchanger 8 via the electromagnetic switching valve 6. Then, the pressure is reduced to a necessary state by the dehumidifying decompression device 10, and the pressure is reduced. The second indoor heat exchanger 9 evaporates.

The room air to be conditioned is passed through the second indoor heat exchanger 9 on the windward side to be cooled and dehumidified, and then passed through the first indoor heat exchanger 8 on the leeward side to be re-heated. Get heated. Eventually, the air returns to the original temperature and the dehumidified air is blown into the room to be air-conditioned, thereby performing the dehumidifying action.

When the air to be conditioned air exchanges heat with the second indoor heat exchanger 9 on the windward side, the water contained therein becomes drain water and adheres to the heat exchanger 9, Eventually it flows down.

From the place where the slit 18 is provided on the inclined side, the drain water flows down along the slit 18. Then, the drain water reaches the connecting portion 19 of the fin 16 between the ends of the slits 18.

Here, since the new connecting portion 19 is inclined at an inclination angle α with respect to the horizontal axis L, it not only prevents the flow of the drain water to the first indoor heat exchanger 8 side, but also Instead, it has the effect of flushing to the second indoor heat exchanger 9 side. Since there is no inflow of the drain water into the first indoor heat exchanger 8, the heat exchanger 8 does not impair reheating efficiency and loss of capacity is prevented.

In the dehumidifying decompression device 10, the small flow valve 25 descends, and the large flow valve 26 contacts the second port b at the position shown in FIG. 7B, and closes it. I do.
At this time, in the small flow rate valve 25, the tapered portion 2
5a is at a position immediately before insertion into the third port c.

Therefore, all of the refrigerant introduced into the valve chamber 27 is guided from the third port c to the space 28 without being drawn out from the second port b. By conducting this port c, the flow rate of the refrigerant is reduced and the pressure is reduced.

When the small flow valve 25 further descends, the shaft portion 25d of the small flow valve 25 slides with respect to the hole 26a of the large flow valve 26, and the position of the large flow valve 26 remains unchanged. The closed state of the second port b is maintained.

However, in the small flow valve 25, the tapered portion 25a is gradually inserted into the third port c, and as a result, the gap between the port c and the tapered portion 25a is reduced.
The refrigerant flowing here is further throttled and led to the space 28. The position in FIG. 7A where the small flow valve 25 is at the lowest position has the largest throttle amount of the refrigerant.

Therefore, the refrigerant is guided from the refrigerant pipe Pa side connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 8 to the valve chamber 27 of the dehumidifying decompression device 10, and is filled with the refrigerant. The pressure is reduced by conducting through the third port c narrowed by 25. Then, the refrigerant is guided to the communication passage 29 and is guided to the second indoor heat exchanger 9 from the end of the refrigerant pipe Pb communicating therewith.

In the decompression device 10 for dehumidification, FIG.
By adjusting the position of the valve body 24 to the state shown in FIG. 3B, the throttle resistance of the refrigerant changes. Therefore, the evaporation temperature can be changed by controlling the refrigerant evaporating action in the second indoor heat exchanger 9, and as a result, the degree of dehumidification can be controlled.

Further, during the cooling / heating operation, the refrigerant secures a large flow rate through the dehumidifying decompression device 10 and passes through the dehumidification device without any change in state, so that there is no pressure loss and the capacity loss is reduced. When switching from the cooling / heating operation to the dehumidification operation, there is no sudden change in the flow path, and the generation of the switching noise can be suppressed.

FIG. 8 shows a comparison between the valve lift and the refrigerant flow rate of the conventional proportional control valve indicated by the dashed line change N and the dehumidifying pressure reducing device of the present invention indicated by the solid line change M. As is clear from the figure, the depressurizing device for dehumidification of the present invention has a more remarkable effect of restricting the refrigerant flow rate and ensuring a large flow rate.

In the above embodiment, the decompression device 10 for dehumidification is provided with the third port c, the space 28 and the communication passage 29 connected to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be configured as shown in FIG.

This is composed of a large flow valve 26A having an enlarged diameter of the hole 31 without changing the outer diameter, and a small flow valve 25A having a tapered portion 32 inserted into the hole 31. You.

During the dehumidifying operation, the small flow valve 25A is raised from the position shown in FIG. Then, the refrigerant in the valve chamber 27 flows into the hole 31 of the large flow valve 26A and the small flow valve 25
A is guided to the second port b via a gap between the A and the tapered portion 32. Therefore, the throttle amount of the refrigerant is adjusted according to the position of the small flow valve 25A.

The device 10 has a structure in which the communication passage 29 is provided in the valve body 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A communication pipe is connected to the outside of the valve body 20 to replace the communication passage. You may do so.

[0068]

As described above, according to the first aspect, the first indoor heat exchanger and the second indoor heat exchanger are
The opposite ends of the slit that divides the fins and the heat exchange pipe in the front-rear direction are integrated into
Since the fin is inclined at an angle equal to or greater than the inclination angle on the upper side of the fin, it is ensured that the drain water generated in the heat exchanger acting as an evaporator flows into the heat exchanger acting as a reheater during the dehumidifying operation. The reheating efficiency of the heat exchanger can be completely secured, and the dehumidifying ability can be greatly improved.

Further, according to the second invention, the dehumidifying decompression device comprises: a large flow valve element that opens all ports during the cooling / heating operation and closes only the second port during the dehumidifying operation; The large flow valve is slidably supported, and a small flow valve is provided for adjusting the throttle amount of the refrigerant flowing through the communication path. Also, when switching to dehumidifying operation,
There is an effect that the reliability of dehumidification can be reliably improved without abrupt channel change.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a heat exchanger in a state of being bent in a V-shape disposed in an air conditioner, showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger in a state before being bent into a dogleg shape in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the air conditioner in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dehumidifying decompression device in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the dehumidifying decompression device in the embodiment.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are longitudinal sectional views of the same embodiment, in which main parts of a dehumidifying decompression device in different states are enlarged.

FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram of a valve lift and a flow rate of the dehumidifying decompression device of the embodiment and the conventional example.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a dehumidifying decompression device, showing another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a heat exchanger in a state in which the heat exchanger is arranged in an air conditioner and is bent in a U-shape, showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Compressor, 2 ... Four-way valve, 3 ... Outdoor heat exchanger, 5 ... Decompression device, 8 ... First indoor heat exchanger, 10 ... Dehumidification decompression device, 9 ... Second indoor heat exchange Vessel, P ... refrigerant pipe, 16 ...
Fins, 17: heat exchange pipe, 18: slit, 7: heat exchanger body, 27: valve chamber, a: first port, b: second port, 29: communication path, 26: valve for large flow rate, 25a ...
Tapered part, 25 ... small flow valve.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI F25B 41/06 F28F 1/32 Y F28F 1/32 F24F 1/00 391B 391A (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F25B 29/00 411 F16K 31/04 F24F 1/00 391 F25B 41/06 F28F 1/32

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a decompression device, a first indoor heat exchanger, a dehumidifying decompression device, and a second indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected via a refrigerant pipe. A refrigeration cycle of a heat pump type which communicates with the air conditioner, switches between the cooling operation and the heating operation by switching the four-way valve, and switches the first indoor heat exchanger to a reheater by switching the dehumidifying pressure reducing device. In the dehumidifying operation using the second indoor heat exchanger as an evaporator, the first indoor heat exchanger and the second indoor heat exchanger are bent in a U shape, A number of fins having their upper sides inclined, heat exchange pipes penetrating through the fins in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction, and fins provided in series at predetermined intervals between the rows of the heat exchange pipes. Exchange consisting of slits that divide the heat exchange pipe in the front and rear direction Is an integral part of the body, the ends facing each other of the slit, the air conditioner being characterized in that inclined slope angle more than the angle of the fin top side. 2. The dehumidifying decompression device according to claim 1, wherein the first port and the first port are connected to a valve chamber, and a refrigerant pipe communicating with the valve chamber and communicating with the first and second indoor heat exchangers. A second port, a communication path for communicating the valve chamber with the connection refrigerant pipe of the second port, and a displaceable housing in the valve chamber;
During cooling and heating operation, the first and second ports and the communication passage are all opened, and during dehumidification operation, only the second port is closed, and the large flow valve is slidable. During the cooling and heating operation, the large flow valve element is held apart from each port, and during the dehumidification operation, the large flow valve element is slid while being fixedly held at the closed position of the second port, and 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a small flow rate valve having a tapered portion for adjusting a throttle amount of the refrigerant flowing through the communication passage by changing a gap size with the communication passage.